Word: lingam
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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High up in the stunning Kashmir Valley lies a natural cave called Amarnath, where stalagmites form during the summer months. Devout Hindus believe this cave to be one of the holiest sites of their religion, and that the largest of the ice formations is a Shiva Lingam, the symbol of Lord Shiva. Hindu mythology has it that Shiva - the destroyer in the Hindu Trinity that includes Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver - imparted the secrets of creation to his consort, Parvati, in Amarnath. Each year, during the months of July and August, hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims from...
...only trouble at the cave used to be that the Shiva Lingam would melt before the greater part of the throngs could arrive to pay obeisance (The stalagmite does wax and wane with the seasons but some blame premature melting on global warming, others on heightened human activity near the shrine). However, for more than two months now, this small, 150 ft high and 90 ft long cave has been the center of a raging communal and political storm in the state of Jammu and Kashmir - one that has divided the Hindu and Muslim populations of the state...